Lessons in the "Education" Category

Today, we are going to talk about artificial intelligence. It is supposedly the future.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is intelligence displayed by machines created by man. One could say that artificial intelligence is a way of making a computer-controlled robot, a computer, or software, think intelligently, in a similar manner to how humans think.

Certainly, AI is leading to workers’ jobs being replaced by robots. However, in order to do all this, it will need even more IT programmers.

Today, let’s talk about school etiquette. It is a hot topic in some schools currently. School etiquette is about students social behaviour in school, especially in the classroom. With the new school term having started, students in some schools have been sent home for wearing the wrong sort of school uniform.

In Norfolk, England, one new headmaster is asking parents to make sure their children are in bed every night by 9pm and up by 6.30am. Students have also been told that their mobiles will be confiscated for up to four months, if they use them in class. If a student is feeling sick, a bucket will be provided for them to vomit into. The idea of this strict regime is to improve standards in the school in question, and to ultimately improve exam results.

Today, let’s talk about fidget spinners. They are the huge new fad for kids at school. Their popularity is sweeping across countries and continents, not to mention school playgrounds.

Fidget spinners are this year’s must have toy. Many adults are confused by their sudden popularity. That’s probably why they’re so popular with kids.

What are fidget spinners? Well, they’re sort of triangular in shape, with three-pronged circles or bearings that spin around a central one. They are palm-sized. What’s more, they’re cheap, so kids can carry round a pocketful of them.

Today, let’s talk about the Millennium Snowflake or Generation Snowflake. These phrases refer to the current young generation. They are used to characterise young people of the 2010s, who, it appears, are more prone to taking offence than their peers.

Snowflakes are said to be less resilient than previous generations. They can be emotionally vulnerable to cope with views that challenge their own thinking. Snowflakes are said to be delicate and unique. They are furiously intolerant of those who dare to challenge them. To be fair, the term Generation Snowflake is a bit derogatory. It originated in the United States. Snowflake Generation is a slang term that made the Collins Dictionary 2016 edition.

Thousands of British teenagers are to be taught a new cyber curriculum. Training will be given in cyber security. The idea being, that it will help boost British defences against the rising threat of online hacking attacks.

The new cyber curriculum scheme is led by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It is aimed at teenagers between 14 and 18 years of age. An initial target of 5,700 students will be selected for the scheme. Older teenagers will be allowed to join the scheme, if they meet the right criteria. A pilot launch will begin in September.

Today, let’s talk about meals that children should be able to cook by the time they are 11. These include scrambled egg on toast, cheese on toast, sausage and mash, as well as porridge.

There are many other easy meals that kids can prepare. These include roast chicken, meatballs and a stew. By the age of 11 children should also be able to prepare desserts, such as fairy cakes, sponge cakes and apple crumble.

When faced with the challenge of preparing their own meal, most 11 year olds might just head for McDonald’s. It could also be a 3 minute ready meal in the microwave or a take away.

A report analysing language trends from the past 50 years has been published by dialect coach, Brendan Gunn, and Dr Dominic Watt of York University, who is a sociolinguistic expert. The two looked at major modern cultural influences, to help predict what the future might sound like.

The analysis said that English regional accents are likely to die out in 50 years. Whereas, urban dialects are likely to rise, in big cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow. The Queen's English could soon be a thing of the past, due to immigration. Multicultural London English, which incorporates pronunciations from West African, Caribbean, and Asian communities, will spread across regions.

Today, let’s talk about going back-to-school. It is September and the school holidays have now finished. It is time to start a new term. This could be at school, university or college, at language school, or even in the office. Students are now returning to lessons, following their summer break.

For schoolchildren, the new term may result in meeting new friends, as well as seeing old ones. It means a new school timetable. It will probably mean new subjects to learn, with exams to study for at the end of the school year.

A new term also brings new teachers, as well as some of the ones you already know and sometimes love. The new term can also include the dreaded word that no one likes – homework!

Today, let’s talk about student uniforms - what students wear to school, college or university. Depending on the country you live in and its habits may determine whether students wear a uniform or not.

In Britain schoolchildren wear a uniform to school. It installs a form of discipline in them that is valuable in later life. If a girl wears a skirt that is too high on the hemline or too tight a pair of trousers she will be sent home to solve the issue. Come in with a funny haircut and a student will be pulled out of the class, reprimanded and sent home. In Britain students do not wear uniforms to college or university.

Today we will look at the English words of the year 2015, as noted by the Collins English Dictionary. These are the words and phrases in the UK that Lexicographers have noticed a significant rise in their usage over the last year.

We’ll start with the ‘word of the year’ that according to Collins is Binge-watching. This is where we stay in to watch more than three episodes of a series in a day. Apparently, 90% of Brits now do this!

What is NewsFlash English?

NewsFlash English was created and is run by a professional English teacher and aims to be the ultimate resource for ESL and TEFL teachers, offering lesson plans every five days, based on current news stories.

Each lesson plan comes complete with texts and dozens of exercises that you're free to mix and match to suit your group of English learners.